My roommate has a betta fish like mine but, hers just died the other day we have no idea why she changed the water, his food (the store she got her's from only has males) everything but he died the other day and still we do not know why. Can you help her? she wants to get a new fish but not sure, what should she do?

My roommate has a betta fish like mine but, hers just died the other day we have no idea why she changed the water, his food (the store she got her's from only has males) everything but he died the other day and still we do not know why. Can you help her? she wants to get a new fish but not sure, what should she do?

please & thank you

Fishy_Lady

Sorry for your friend's loss... but without details as to what happened leading up to the death, nobody can really offer you much help here.
What size container was the fish in?
What was the water temp?
How often did she feed the fish? How much and what foods each time?
How often did she change water and how much each time?
Did the fish lose color, appetite, develop fuzz on fins or body? Any symptoms you can describe would help a lot... did he lay near the bottom, did his eyes swell... anything you can offer here would be of big help.

The other things to consider are whether the fish was sick when she got it... and how old it was... how long did she have it? Most bettas found in the stores are already at least 1 yr old. The average life span of a betta is 3 - 4 yrs and genetics also has a lot to do with it. Over the years the betta has become so popular and has been inbred, cross bred, etc to produce specific fin styles and other traits.

If you and your friend can answer the above questions I may be able to give you some insight as to cause of death.
Tell your friend that the safest thing to do now is to sterilize all of the tank and decorations, equipment... Once I know the situation I can coach her on how to do this in the safest and least expensive way possible.

But make sure NOT to use bleach, soap, surface cleaners, anything like that. Safest way to go is to use just hot water and maybe some salt, as an abrasive. (While on the topic, don't use tap water for your betta {or any fish} unless it has been dechlorinated)

But make sure NOT to use bleach, soap, surface cleaners, anything like that. Safest way to go is to use just hot water and maybe some salt, as an abrasive. (While on the topic, don't use tap water for your betta {or any fish} unless it has been dechlorinated)

Bleach is safe to use if its done properly... but will depend on what is still in the tank??

What size container was the fish in? to my guess is was a 1 gallon tank
What was the water temp? no lower that 70 no higher than 75
How often did she feed the fish? How much and what foods each time? 2- 3 days or more. 1 small pinch of food
How often did she change water and how much each time? 3 4 days a week
Did the fish lose color, appetite, develop fuzz on fins or body? no fuzz but to me he looked as if he was not eating as much as when she first got him. she changed his food still nothing. no loss of color.

There is nothing obvious in your description to lead me to an answer as to what happened to the betta. It still could have been a number of possibiities. One more thing is age... when a fish gets to the store it is typically about 1 yr old. I have seen some fish come in that are actually elderly, but without seeing the fish there would be no way for me to say for sure.

My suggestion now is to clean the bowl/tank with a solution of 1 cup of bleach to a gallon of water. Once this is done rinse it completely until any smell of bleach is gone, then let it air dry for 48 hrs. After 48 hrs, rinse again, if there is any odor of bleach, rinse thoroughly again and let air dry for another 24 hrs, until there is no odor of bleach. If there is a filter, silk or plastic plants, these can be rinsed in the same manner. Gravel should be replaced.

Tell your friend to pay special attention when purchasing another fish. Things to look for are: bubble nest in their container, good, bold color, healthy shape, clear eyes and reactions to another fish when set next to a fish it hasn't just been sitting with. If the fish flares and reacts to a fish it hasn't been looking at all day, this is a good sign. The things to be careful of... swollen or cloudy eyes, lack of color, holes or tearing in the fins, dirty water, no bubble nest, inactive when put next to another fish... any fuzzy or other types of growth on body or fins.
It is likely that your friend purchased a sick fish to begin with, and choosing a healthy one should help resolve her problem in the future. If the fish is in a bowl or small tank, be sure it has a heater so it doesn't get cold. Anything below 72 is dangerous, as is anything over 88. Most important is to keep the temp steady.